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The differences between technical project managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a technical project manager, becoming a product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $108,205 average annual salary of a technical project manager.
The top three skills for a technical project manager include project management, technical project and scrum. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Technical Project Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $108,205 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $52.02 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 209,820 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
The role of technical project managers is to oversee the planning and management of projects within a company. They are considered as the lead subject matter expert in terms of technology concerns. They have varied duties that include ensuring the completion of projects within an established budget and time frame, hiring and training support members, and improving resource management and project planning. They also communicate with stakeholders and collaborate with other departments, all to attain a common goal.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Technical project managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Project Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $108,205 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $142,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a technical project manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Technical Project Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between technical project managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Technical Project Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |